Troubled adolescent mental health hospital site opens new service for adults

The site of a controversial children’s and adolescent mental health hospital has been repurposed as a facility for adult patients under the same care provider.

Taplow Manor was a specialist child and adolescent mental health inpatient service (CAMHS) in Huntercombe Lane South for 12–18-year-olds.

The hospital had been beset by problems and criticisms by the care watchdog in recent years, and was taken over by Active Care Group in December 2021 following a merger.

However, it was rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and placed in special measures in March.

There were a number of noted failings, including problems with restraint and lack of cleanliness.

The service hit back, arguing it hadn't been given enough credit for improvements and saying it was a ‘disproportionate reaction’ to national news reports of ‘unsubstantiated allegations’.

The hospital had been the subject of a series of news reports following an investigation by the Independent and Sky News.

Shortly afterwards, Active Care Group, announced that it would be closing its CAMHS services.

A spokesperson said at the time that the ‘pause to admissions’ made its Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) ‘untenable’, hence the closure.

Now the hospital is offering a new mental health service for adults, under the same name and group (Active Care Group).

It will support men and women over the age of 18 from across the UK who are detained under the Mental Health Act and ‘who are experiencing severe and complex mental health conditions.’

This includes:

• Unexplained psychotic episodes
• Drug induced psychoses
• Challenging behaviours
• Axis 1 type disorder such as mania or schizophrenia
• Acute episodes
• Severe depression
• Risky behaviours such as aggression, self-harm, suicide attempts

It has ‘acute services’ for patients ‘who need to step down from a PICU setting’ or who have complex, severe or prolonged mental health issues but do not require intensive care.

The hospital will have several therapy rooms and an occupational therapy kitchen ‘to help individuals re-gain life skills and work towards independent living.’

Asked what changes, if any, Taplow Manor would be looking to introduce following criticisms of the previous service, Active Care Group declined to comment further.